California Governor Gavin Newsom has vetoed legislation that would have allowed licensed marijuana growers to sell their products directly to consumers at farmers markets.
Assembly Bill 1111, sponsored by Assemblymember Gail Pellerin (D), would have authorized the Department of Cannabis Control (DCC) to issue temporary event licenses, enabling on-site cannabis sales and consumption at designated venues within jurisdictions that permit such activities.
“While I appreciate the author’s intent to support small and equity cannabis cultivators, I am concerned that the bill’s broad eligibility, which extends to the vast majority of licensed cultivators, would undermine the existing retail licensing framework and place significant strain on the Department of Cannabis Control’s ability to regulate and enforce compliance”, said Governor Newsom in a veto letter.
Newsom says “I remain open to considering a more flexible and narrowly focused version of this bill next year that can better respond to market dynamics, without imposing a rigid monitoring and compliance framework. Such policies must be considered within the broader context of efforts that are necessary to address the fundamental issues straining the legal cannabis market, such as competition from unregulated sources and improving access to regulated products. It is essential that we prioritize solutions that strengthen, rather than further burden, the existing regulated market.”
Seperately, Governor Newsom signed into law Senate Bill 1064 to allow marijuana businesses to conduct multiple activities under a single license. He also signed into law Assembly Bill 1775 to legalize marijuana cafés.
